In Lafia Town, Nigeria, and Its Related Urban Planning Problems
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World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Business and Economics Engineering Vol:7, No:3, 2013 The Emerging Central Business District (CBD) in Lafia Town, Nigeria, and its Related Urban Planning Problems Barau Daniel, and Bashayi Obadiah problems caused by its emergence. The following objectives Abstract—A spatial analysis of a large 20th century urban will guide the sequence of the work. settlement (town/city) easily presents the celebrated central Business (i) Concept and Nature of CBD’s with particular attention to District (CBD). Theories of Urban Land Economics have easily Nigerian cities justified and attempted to explain the existence of such a district (ii) The Emerging CBD of Lafia town activity area within the cityscape. This work examines the gradual emergence and development of the CBD in Lafia Town, Nigeria over (iii) Problems of CBD’s 20 years and the attended urban problems caused by its emergence. (iv) Some suggested guidelines in the planning, design and Personal knowledge and observation of land use change are the main management of CBDs sources of data for the work, with unstructured interview with residents. The result are that the absence of a co-ordinate land use II. CONCEPT, AND NATURE OF CBD’S plan for the town, multi-nuclei nature, and regional location of surrounding towns have affected the growth pattern, hence the CBD. All the three socio-spatial theories in Fig. 1 [4], [5] Traffic congestion, dispersed CBD land uses are some of the urban subscribe to the presence of a component part of a city called planning problems. The work concludes by advocating for integrating the Central Business District. Reference [6], [7], it is that part CBD uses. where activities seem most alive in the North American Literature; husty and bursty. In many cities it represents where Keywords—Urban planning, Central Business District (CBD), downtown. the city began or the earliest part of the city, except in cases where massive planning and redevelopment have strongly I. INTRODUCTION influenced its location through planning policies and design. HE agglomeration of populations of people into relatively Tlarge settlements, as a result of food surplus, suitable defense locations, and water source and rudimentary technology dates back to pre-history [1]. Probably the singular visible evidence without statistical count of human population growth is the number of large and larger settlements that have characterized every society and culture from unrecorded time to the present. In Africa, ancient Urbanization is traced to Egypt, Alexandria being one of the earliest cities [2]. West African and indeed Nigeria Urbanization are often discussed on the basis of pre and post Colonial urban structure which has affected the CBD structure of earlier Nigerian cities [3]. Spatially, a city is viewed as a combination of activity areas, built up spaces worked together by communication Fig. 1 Three models for looking at the pattern of land use in older routes. The CBD is one of these activity spaces. The towns and cities evolution, subsequent control through urban planning and The concentric model, suggested [8], displays a series of International Science Index, Business and Economics Engineering Vol:7, No:3, 2013 waset.org/Publication/8156 design of the CBD affects its functionality and that of the other component of a city. concentric circles with the central business district (CBD) at The paper primarily examines the emerging CBD of Lafia the centre and the commuter zone on the outer ring. The sector town, in Nigeria with a view of unraveling urban planning theory, put forward by Homer Hoyt in 1939, has industrial and residential zones in sectors radiating from the CBD at the centre. The multiple-nuclei theory was developed [5]. In this Barau, Daniel is with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, model, the different zones grow in several independent areas Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia, Nigeria. (phone: 08036752189; e-mail: rather than solely around the CBD. [email protected]). The CBD represents the core area where daytime Bashayi, Obadiah is with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia, Nigeria. (phone: population concentration and density is highest compared to 08038069607,08022059170; e-mail: [email protected]). other parts of a city. Further sociological description of the International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 7(3) 2013 568 scholar.waset.org/1307-6892/8156 World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Business and Economics Engineering Vol:7, No:3, 2013 CBD is that it is the zone that is surrounded by the low class A typical Nigerian city’s CBD may have same features. workers principally because they work within the CBD as live Reference [13], describes three types of city centre in Nigeria close to it as building structures are of poorer quality so rents unlike the single one described above which is typical of most are low. Also, the advantage of paying less in transport cost to American and post industrial Western cities. The three types reach the CBD is given as a reason for the low class workers of cities centres are: living immediately around a CBD. i. The single centre cohesive pattern centre (Onisha, Calabar Probably the economic interpretation of land use structure and Sapele), within a city including the CBD has given a clearer ii. The non cohesive single centre (Enugu, Maiduguri, Kano, understanding of existence and expansion of a CBD. One of Ilorin, Zaria, Ibadan), such early models that seek to interpret urban land use is that iii. Multi-centres (Kaduna, Port-Harcourt and Lagos). of Richard Hurd cited in [9]. Hurd asserts that any utility or The nature of the structure of Nigerian cities and their activity may compete for any location within the city, and all CBD’s largely depends on whether the city in question is pre- lands go to the highest bidder. In this model competition is the colonial or post- colonial. Most pre-colonial cities centres are basis that distributes the spatial pattern of urban land uses dual city centres, [14], [15] and post-colonial city have single including the CBD uses. A similar work by Haig in 1920 cited centres, a little more close to the typical Western European in [10] argues that rent paid on urban land is a charge for city. The Nigerian CBD’s especially those of the pre-colonial accessibility or savings in transport cost. The process of cities have many functions which are non existence in the bidding is to determine the occupant and hence its use. The CBD’s of American cities; these including hawking, open and principle that determines the layout of a metropolis is the multi shopping points of food, soup materials, clothes etc. minimization of cost of friction of space. In this model, rents, These exist and may cover a considerable area space and is transport costs, and location are interdependent. A third model distinct from the modern large departmental stores for both which seems to have gained prominence as the basis economic wholesale and retail business including offices, few eateries interpretation of land use is that of Ratclift. Reference [6], [9], etc. as described earlier. The former represents the Nigerian this model maintains that land use is determined by the traditional city centres, while the later represents the relative efficiencies of various uses in various locations. influences of colonialism on urban form, architecture and Efficiency in use is measured by the ability to pay rent and urban life. This dual city centre phenomenon presents some ability to extract economic utility from a site. The process of urban planning challenges in some Nigerian cities. adjustment in city structure to most efficient use is through competition of uses for various locations. The use which is III. THE EMERGING CBD OF LAFIA TOWN:BACKGROUND able to extract the highest return from a given site will be the OF THE STUDY AREA successful bidder. This is the basis of the orderly arrangement A. Origin and Growth of land use pattern to perform most efficiently the economic functions that characterizes the urban life. In [11], it was Present day Lafia has its origin as a multiple nuclei of the Migili and Alago market point, in the early 1700s, the arrival found out that application by land developers in the city of St. Catherine, Canada, were those seeking approval to change the of Borno emigrants (beri-beri) late 1700s [16] and the existing use to that which will attract a higher economic establishment of a railway station in the mid 1800s. The beri benefit. Thus economic forces allocate land uses, shaping the beri who were accepted and permitted to settle by the Andoma city especially the CBD which is mostly competed for because of Doma were admonished to live in peace (lafia in hausa language) with other ethnic groups. Hence, Lafia became the of it accessibility. Reference [12] describe the 20th century CBD (and still exist in this 21st century) as that which gave name of the settlement. The north/south Port-Harcourt, the visual expression to the growth and dynamics of the Maiduguri regional road that passes through the town, and industrial city. The CBD became the symbol of progress, agricultural rich hinterland reinforced the permanency of the settlement. The rapid growth of Lafia to its present size is modernity and affluences. It gave the precise status of any particular city from size and degree of economic, social attributed to political, social and national development. political and cultural life of cities. The organization of the Regionally, after the civil war, (1968-1970) both soldiers and functions within the CBD set the framework for the future of civilians settled in Lafia contributing to its growth.